 | | For the typical music fan, Lecrae's hard demeanor and crunk beats might belie what his lyrics are really about, his adoration of Jesus Christ. |
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 | | The 116 Clique (pronounced one-one-six click) is a Christian hip-hop group from Dallas, TX, signed to Reach Records. |
 | | Philadelphia's Da' T.R.U.T.H. is a vanguard artist in the genre of Christian rap, having won numerous awards and critical praise. |
 | | Gospel rap collective of the '00s inseparable from its Philly ministry.............................. |
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 | | Raised in a rough-and-tumble suburb of Tampa, FL, KJ-52 (real name: Jonah Sorrentino) was the product of a broken home, and eventually found himself mixed up in drugs, drinking, and chasing skirts. |
 | | Nashville-based Christian rap group Grits (an acronym for "Grammatical Revolution in the Spirit") consists of Teron "Bonafide" Carter and Stacy "Coffee" Jones, who debuted in 1995 with Mental Releases. |
 | | A founding member of the 116 Clique, Christian rapper Sho Baraka was born in Alberta, Canada but was raised in Southern California during the rise of gangsta rap. |
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 | | Although he’s best known as a solo artist, Christian rapper Tedashii made his debut in 2005 as a member of the 116 Clique, a group of artists associated with the Reach Records label. |
 | | Many Christian rap artists are known more for the breadth of their content than the quality of their rhyme skills, but Latino West Coast MC T-Bone has been praised for both. |
 | | Led by vocalist Blanca Reyes, Group 1 Crew is one of the most popular hip-hop gospel acts, and also one of the few groups on that scene composed of all Latino members. |
 | | The Gospel Gangstaz comprised DJ Dove, Chilly Chill, Tic Toc, and Mr. Solo, all onetime Los Angeles gang-bangers who later spread the Lord's message via the hard beats and gritty rhymes of the West Coast rap sound. |
 | | Gospel/R&B singer and producer Canton Jones grew up in a musical family in Deerfield Beach, a coastal town in southeast Florida. |
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 | | Originally raised in Warrensburg, MO, Steven Cooper, better known as Christian rap-rocker Lyrycyst, came from a broken home and spent his early life very depressed. |
 | | Toby McKeehan (or tobyMac, as he is professionally known) grew up in the northern Virginia suburbs in the shadow of Washington, D. |
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 | | The L.A. Christian rap group God's Original Gangstaz consists of Preach D.O.G. and Mr. Reg N.I.C.E., who were both involved in gangs and drugs as young teens. |
 | | A Christian hip-hop artist whose rhymes suggest the influence of pioneering '80s artists like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Pharcyde while his music embraces everything from old-school beats to alternative pop, John Reuben (born John Reuben Zappin) was born in Columbus, OH, on January 14, 1979. |
 | | One of the smoothest Christian rappers out there, Knowdaverbs has recorded for the Gotee label, home to Grits and affiliated with dc Talk. |
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 | | New Breed is a brother-sister Christian hip-hop duo out of the Puerto Rican streets of Boston, MA. Co-MCs Macho and Elsie Ortega first appeared as part of the Tunnel Rats, the underground Christian hip-hop collective based in California. |
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 | | A Christian rapper from Portland, OR, influenced by the positivity of A Tribe Called Quest in the midst of gangsta rap's heyday, Braille Brizzy started making music as a teen and had released Lifefirst: Half the Battle by the time he was 17. |
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 | | The first gospel act to incorporate hip-hop influences (though the trio rarely departs from standard pop/rock), dc Talk became one of the most popular groups in Christian contemporary music during the mid-'90s, when their fourth album, Jesus Freak, made the highest debut for a gospel act on Billboard's album charts. |
 | | Christian rapper Lil Raskull (a.k.a. Delbert Harris) grew up in Trinity Garden, a ghetto on the north side of Houston, TX. |
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 | | Among the many Christian gangsta rap artists that popped up in the late '90s, Str8 Young Gangstaz came out of South Central with a sound that was heavily reminiscent of Dr. |
 | | Nuwine stands out as one of the more noteworthy rappers to sincerely advocate a Christian ideology, and though he remained underground, he enjoyed much success there, producing and self-releasing numerous albums on his Wino-O Records label. |
 | | Disciple was formed in 1991 by friends Kevin Young, Brad Noah, and Tim Barrett in an attempt to spread the Gospel while playing the loud, metallic music they loved. |
 | | Family Force 5, who once went by the name the Phamily, came together outside Atlanta, Georgia in 2004. |
 | | Since his debut, 1993's Kirk Franklin & the Family, Kirk Franklin has been one of the brightest stars in contemporary gospel music. |
 | | Christian rapper Prime Minister was born Andre Ford in Rockford, IL; growing up a notorious gangbanger on the streets of Chicago, he was once tried for attempted murder, and spent time both in prison and in a psychiatric ward. |
